Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the political beliefs of the two philosophers and theorists Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. It looks at how Hobbes' political theory is illustrated in the Leviathan which discusses the matter, form and power of a commonwealth. Hobbes was a social contract theorist who believed that a commonwealth was "but an artificial man?. It shows how Locke was also a social contract theorist who believed that the purpose of government was to protect the lives of subjects.
Outline
Hobbes
Locke
The Most Fundamental Differences
Weaknesses and Strengths
From the Paper "Though both of these philosophers are social contract theorist there are some small differences in their ideals. Hobbes believed that once subjects gave consent to be governed they must abide by the laws set forth by that sovereign. He believed that subjects should be certain that the sovereign is going to do everything in his power to preserve their lives before they transfer their rights and wills to him. Once the rights and wills of the subjects are tranfered the sovereign becomes the voice of the commonwealth and his authority must be respected--the sovereign was the supreme power."
Abstract This paper is a critical review of Barbara Ehrenreich's book, "Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America". It discusses Ehrenreich's account of her undercover experience as a non-skilled, low-wage worker, and the challenge presented in the book to minimum wage legislation and its perceived benefits. Ehrenreich's interesting assertion that low-wage workers represent the biggest, most philanthropic section of society is also discussed and explained.
From the Paper "Low-wage earners are probably one of the most neglected sections of the American workforce. While minimum wage is a highly controversial subject and often sparks hot discussions in social and political circles, no one is really interested in the lives of the real recipients of this legislation. When an increase is made in minimum wage, the government and others are more concerned about the reaction of the employers instead of the response of the low wage section. This says a great deal about social discrimination and division that prevails in our society and which severely hurts the cause of unskilled workers."
Abstract With the longer lifespan of the average American citizen, coupled with the earlier retirement trend, the future of America's Social Security system looks headed for disaster. This paper presents a detailed examination of the privatization of Social Security. The writer produces an argument in favor of privatizing the system.
From the Paper "For many years people have invested in private investment situations that have included blue chip stocks, mutual funds and other things. They have managed to put away money for retirement, often times because they do not believe the social security system is stable enough to provide for them when the time comes. The fact that millions of Americans are already creating their own retirement funds aside from the money they are paying in to social security illustrates their ability to handle a privatized system."
Abstract This paper examines how globalization is one of the most hotly debated issues in world politics and how some view globalization as a system or age, while others regard it as a revolution or the neo-imperialistic process of the 21th century. It looks at how globalization can be defined as the process of denationalization, integration, and growing interdependence of markets, economies and societies, which affects the environment, political systems, and cultures.
Outline
Introduction
Economic Impacts of Globalization
Globalization and National Sovereignty
Globalization ? The End of Cultural Diversity?
Conclusion
From the Paper "Information technology is one of the main drivers of globalization. The important role technology plays in the globalization process is often disregarded or at least underestimated. The degree of technological innovation determines whether a country reaps the benefits of globalization or not. Studies have shown that developing countries still lag behind industrialized countries as far as technological development is concerned. According to a recent UN report only one person in 200 in Southeast Asia has Internet access. In Arab countries only one person in 500 has access to the Internet. In African countries, the ratio is even worse. Information technology, which was originally designed to connect the world, has produced a "digital divide" that has exacerbated the gap between the rich and the poor. The low degree of technological innovation in developing countries certainly deprives people in developing countries from participating in the globalization process. The question is, however, whether information technology will at the same time be the only key to catching with industrialized countries."
Abstract This paper explains that the nature-nurture controversy is the continuing debate over whether the individual's various traits and characteristics are influenced more by inborn factors, or nature, or by cultural influences and other aspects of experience, or nurture. The author points out that, today, scientists view human development as a combination of nature and nurture, while the British philosopher, John Locke, in the 1690s, suggested that the human infant is like a blank slate, or "tabula rasa", on which experience in the form of human learning writes messages on the infant's unformed mind. The paper relates that Sigmund Freud's theory of development states that human development is the product of both internal urges and external conditions, particularly children's sexual and aggressive urges, and how parents handle them.
From the Paper "Many professions have solicited the assistance of psychologists in trying to predetermine the psyche of potential persons for areas such as employment and placement. The legal profession has sought out psychologists on both sides to prove their theories of the mental abilities, behavior explanations or predictions of behavior of a defendant or plaintiff. "Society has let the pendulum swing wildly back from nurture to nature, leaving behind a number of bewildered social scientist. Yet we still love to phrase everything in terms of one influence or the other, rather than both." In the educational profession, understanding the balance or affect of both nature and nurture is essential to designing an effective plan for each pupil's advancement."
Abstract This paper discusses the plight of African-American soldiers in the Vietnam war, as told by the soldiers in their own words. The paper explains that many of them felt they were fighting a war they did not understand, while they were subjected to racism at home. The paper describes how this book changed or confirmed the writer's understanding of war. The ethical questions raised by the book are examined in the paper. Implications of the Vietnam war for our present situation in the Middle East are presented briefly. The paper concludes with the writer's personal evaluation of the book.
From the Paper "The book "Bloods: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Black Veterans"{ Wallace, 1980} is packed with many educative information for those of us too young to understand what happened in South East Asia during the Vietnam war. First of all the book is a collection of 20 war stories from enlisted African American soldiers taking part in the war. Most of the stories in the book show how divided America was about fighting the war. While there were demonstrations in the United States particularly on College campuses, many Americans failed to realize at that time that there were similar divisions among American soldiers in the Vietnam War. The experiences of the African American soldiers were influenced by the racism they experienced at home. According to Terry, the rage among African American soldiers in Vietnam was very high, one black soldier said, that what they been through in the Vietnamese jungles, in addition to their experiences in America is a terrible injustice. Some African American soldiers said they should even go back to America and start another civil war. Some soldiers asked why they should be fighting for prejudice of the Whiteman."
Abstract This paper explains that for the United States, the main problem with illegal immigration is from Mexico because of the porous border between these countries. The author points out the problems with illegal immigrants are (1) that they work in the United States but they pay little or no taxes and yet receive the various benefits of citizens and legal immigrants, such as claiming unemployment compensation, resulting in an outflow of money but little or no inflow from income taxes for the U.S. government and (2) people associated or linked with terrorism seep into the United States through these porous boarders. The paper recommends that the resolution of the problem of illegal immigration requires (1) clarification of the law, (2) stricter enforcement necessitating sufficient funding for the border patrol force and (3) elimination of "birthright citizenship", which attracts illegal immigration because it offers any child born in the United States American citizen regardless of the citizenship or immigration status of his or her parents.
From the Paper "Last year President Bush took some steps to solve this problem. In 2004, he planned to allow about eight million illegal immigrants to achieve a temporary work permit that would make their stay in the United States as legal. This was a bold step and many illegal immigrants actually want to become legal in the United States. So they would get their legal status while the country would receive its taxes from them. Moreover, this would bring a lot of illegal immigrant on record and would filter out any terrorists or people with other negative agendas. However, this would only solve the problem of the illegal immigrants who are already within the borders of the United States."
An argument as to why Parliamentary systems more accurately reflect democratic ideals with respect to responsiveness of the government and policy outputs, despite their disadvantages.
1,382 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 3 sources, 2000, $ 46.95
From the Paper "The trend toward democratization has led to fewer authoritarian governments, and more governments where constituents have a voice in the ruling of the nation. The forms which a democratic government can take are manifold in number. Democratic governments, generally, take two basic forms; governments are either primarily parliamentary or they are primarily presidential, though many new governments are conglomerations of the two forms. While both systems have benefits and drawbacks, the parliamentary system is, clearly, superior. Parliamentary systems more accurately reflect democratic ideals with respect to responsiveness of the government and policy outputs. Further, the executive in a parliamentary government, the Prime Minister, is superior, in function, to the executive of a presidential system, the President. Though the parliamentary system is, on the whole, superior to the presidential system, it must be acknowledged that the parliamentary system has clear disadvantages. "
From the Paper "The somewhat progressive nature of tax rates as income increases is one of the central features of the United States? personal income tax system. That effective rates, the established percentage of one's income that one must pay as income tax (Rosen 537), increase as income increases, has been true of the United States? tax system since its inception. Criticism of the United States? tax system abounds, and some recent reform proposals have centered around a ?flat tax,? a taxation scheme where all personal income is taxed at the same marginal rate, the percentage of each additional dollar of income that is collected by the government in taxes (Rosen 534), rather than at differential rates that rise with income. For instance, under the current system, an additional $100 of income is taxed at a higher rate if one's total tax bill is $100,000 than if one's total tax bill is $20,000. If marginal tax rates were the same, this additional $100 of income would be taxed at the same rate regardless of one's income. The two proposals to which serious attention has been given are the Armey plan and the Hall-Rabushka flat tax plans."
Abstract This is a persuasive paper that analyzes the proponents of censorship. In recent years, the American entertainment industry has undergone vast changes in aspects such as music, television and Internet, and what began as innocent entertainment is no longer. Censorship is emerging into the limelight once again, as children are immensely affected by what they see, and their intentions of repeating what they see makes censorship ever more important today. The amount of violence in all forms of entertainment must somehow be regulated or censored in some way to protect the innocent youth of today.
From the Paper "Please note the following: ?Where Them Ho's At;? ?Tits;? and ?Simple Instructions for Assembling a Bomb with Household Materials.? The title of a song, a word used in a TV drama, and something easily accessible from the Internet. What might these three things have in common? They are all salient factors in the corruption of today's youth. These are not the types of programs and songs our country's future leaders should have access to. "Entertainment" such as this has been proven to cause aggression in young children, causing them to be more prone to use violence to settle disputes. It also exposes children to adult situations they are not yet suited to understand, which in turn confuses them. More stringent laws must be passed for the sake of our nation's impressionable, innocent young children."
Abstract This short paper outlines the problems of homelessness that exist in America. The author gives a few options for solutions and compares homelessness of today and of the past, suggesting that loss of community and social life add to the problem.
From the Paper "We"ve all seen them on the street. Many of us have given them our spare change while passing by. Maybe you"ve even served them Thanksgiving dinner in a shelter somewhere. Perhaps you?ve felt an overwhelming sense of pity for them, or maybe a sense of detest and disgust. The point is, homelessness is a major problem in America. You can go to any major city and find homeless people on park benches, street corners, doorways, and stairwells. And in every city, you will see almost the same thing ? the average American passing by them while doing their best to ignore them ? this is how we have trained ourselves as a nation to react to this problem ? ignore it. It seems to big a problem to solve, so we ignore it as well as we can. Unfortunately, the last thing we should be doing is ignoring it ? the fact that there are citizens of our country who do not have the basic needs that we need as humans ? food, shelter, and clothing ? is horrendous. I"m going to add one more necessity to that list: love and acceptance. Not only are we ignoring their physical needs, but we don"t even think about their emotional needs. Luckily, I am not alone in my call to action on this subject ? many groups such as the National Coalition for the Homeless, Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, PADS (a close to home organization ? PADS serves the southwest suburbs homeless community with shelters, food, and health care), Goodwill, newspapers and the rest of the media, and even some judges, lawyers, legislators, and other government officials join in the plea to solve this homelessness problem that seems so overwhelming."
This paper explores drug prohibition in America. It is written from a point of view that supports the legalization of drugs. Political, constitutional and financial affects on American government are discussed.
3,087 words (approx. 12.3 pages), 11 sources, 2001, $ 90.95
Abstract This paper examines the repercussions of drug prohibition. This paper is written from a point of view that supports the legalization of drugs. It explores the history of America's "War on Drugs" from a political and financial standpoint. Crime, civil liberties, foreign countries economies and medical uses for illegal drugs are discussed. Many of the statistics that are studied in this paper are taken from the DEA's web site and proven to be invalid through outside sources. This paper looks at where the government funding for drug prohibition goes; it also looks at drug prices, crime rates and statistics pertaining to the inmate population of drug offenders.
From the Paper "Every year America's drug policies are debated in Washington. These drug policies are never debated seriously, the only aspect our elected representatives focus on is how much more money should America spend battling drugs. Outside of Washington there is a growing unease about the war on drugs. Many Americans are concluding that the drug war has been given a fair chance to work and has failed. America's war on drugs is an unsuccessful battle, and it's time for a governmental reform."
Abstract This essay deals with the topic of terrorism, with focus on the events which occurred on September 11th. The author looks at topics such as the United States' role in the war on terror, the Palestinian perspectives as well as the impacts of such terror on the world. Includes various world leaders' viewpoints on the terror attacks.
From the Paper "Terrorism is a topic that has many different viewpoints. One group's actions can be considered a terrorist act to some while others perceive it as a fight for freedom. Terrorism has become a major world issue that has affected all nations in light of the September 11 attacks. To deal with such a broad issue, many opinions must be heard in order to have any chance at resolving the problems that terrorism causes us to face. This report investigates the different perceptions and views that world leaders, ordinary citizens, as well as the various militant groups have on this controversial subject. "
Abstract This paper provides an analysis of the U.S. social security system. The author examines the history of social security 'screation, workings of the particular plans- disability and old age and survivor insurance, and how Americans' tax dollars are selected and sent. This analysis also looks at the growing uneasiness regarding depletion of funds.
From the Paper "America has been through many trying times throughout its young history. One of the most difficult times was the Great Depression. During this period many banks failed, the stock market crashed, and Americans everywhere were losing faith in the government. The government came up with different options on how they could guarantee the nation's elderly of a decent income. In 1935, the government introduced their solution, Social Security. Since its inception, the Social Security program has been one of the most successful domestic government programs, providing economic protection for Americans of all ages."
Abstract In this essay the author goes head to head with Karl Marx's view of alienation. The contradictions which Marx makes on alienation of labor are pointed out and used to figure out what conception of the human essence Marx uses to rest his theory on. The author points out flaws in Marx's essay and offers alternative solutions.
From the Paper "Karl Marks who lived between 1818 and 1883 wrote the Estrange Labor manuscript in 1844. Being only 26 years of age he challenges the works of the great philosopher Hegel. In his manuscript he considered himself to be a young Hegelian philosopher. Marx explains his beliefs on what he believes to be the key elements of estranged labor, mainly alienation from nature, alienation from product of labor, alienation from the activity of labor, and alienation from species. Hegel believed that trough the use of labor to create objects we could satisfy our bodily needs. He believed that our reason allowed for criticism to improve upon the objects, which allowed the mind to evolve toward pure reason and ultimately freedom. Hegel also noted that freedom was the essence of freedom. Marx does not completely agree with Hegel because he felt his theory was too abstract and ignored important concepts of social organization for production. Marx believes that philosophy in the past had mystified the real contradictions of human existence."
